On Parables

If one grew up in the Christian church, the parables of Jesus are part of the tapestry of Christian religion.  But if we look at the gospels with fresh eyes, as a newcomer to these letters, we are struck by how much storytelling Jesus does and by his constant "hiding" of the main message.

At every turn, Jesus sheathes his message in a story, a "parable".  Indeed, "parables" now are often synonymous with "the teachings of Jesus."

Why does Jesus do this? Why the steady stream of stories?

Jesus answers this question in, of course, a parable.  The "parable of the sower" (Matthew 13, Luke 8, Mark 4) is a parable about parables! Jesus tells of a farmer spreading seeds and of the differing responses, depending upon the ground on which the seeds fall. When questioned about the parable by his disciples, Jesus says (essentially) that the parables are to keep out the calloused, that is, those who are not really interested and only pretend to be listening.

There are other Biblical instances of stories being created to carry a message. In the Old Testament passage, II Samuel 12, the Jewish prophet Nathan rebukes King David.  It is dangerous to rebuke a king, especially about murder, deceit and adultery, but Nathan wants to get under David's defensiveness to reach the true David, that king who had once been concerned about justice.  And so Nathan tells a story.  At the end of the story, when David is incensed at the rich man who abused a poor man and killed the poor man's pet, Nathan points a bony finger at David and says, "You are that man!"  The story achieved its goal.  Similarly, in II Samuel 14, David's commander, Joab, communicates to the king by way of a contrived story.

Communication by stories and parables is not unique to the Bible, of course.  An ancient example is the fables of Aesop, which date from 500 years before Christ.

As a teacher in the twenty-first century, Jesus's use of parable resonates with me.  Good teaching methods go beyond mere transformation of facts.  Whether it is the "Socratic method" or "Inquiry Based Learning" or some other currently popular technique, educators recognize that students must actively engage in the learning process, if that process is to mean anything.  If that process is to lead to true learning and understanding, the student needs to put energy into integrating the knowledge and concepts.  Jesus forces this in his use of parables; the information he provides is not low-hanging fruit that is easy to pluck -- and then forget.

If we link the parable of the sower with the proverb in Matthew 7:6 about "not casting pearls before swine", there is an additional message, a message about matching the appropriate message to the audience.

Too often, in American Christianity, the emphasis is on giving as simple a message as possible, on the presentation of a simplistic candy-coated Jesus, a message suitable for young children but patronizing to adults.  Joining the Kingdom of Heaven should be a thoughtful and careful process.  An adult should not lightly make a decision to be a disciple of Christ. Jesus himself warns people of this; in some cases, he warns people away.  The effect of Jesus's parables is to ask the listener, "Are you sure you really want to go down this path?"

I'd have more to say about the importance of thinking deeply on the gospel -- and not being distracted by silly trivialities -- but googling "pearls before swine" led me to this comic strip and I've been reading the comic strip instead of thinking about parables....

Matthew 17, The Transfiguration

Matthew has told us that there is to be a future "revealing" of the Son of Man.  In this chapter, we turn a corner.  Jesus's preaching ministry is near an end and he will soon make one last trip to Jerusalem, there to die.

Matt 17:1-3
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

This occurs just after Jesus has promised the disciples that they will see the Son of Man coming in glory.

I wonder what Moses, Elijah and Jesus talk about....

Matt 17:4-8
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If  you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't  be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Peter always speaks his mind.  He is eager to create a place the three heroes can rest.  But he needs to be listening.

Matt 17:9-13
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed  them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished.  In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them  about John the Baptist.

So part of the Old Testament prophecy, to their understanding, has been fulfilled by John the Baptist.

Matt 17:14-18
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."

"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

Was it a demon?  Or something else?  How would our medical profession view this?

Jesus is clearly frustrated with his disciples.  They apparently still have a long way to go in their training.

Matt 17:19-20
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Verse 21 (in old texts) is questionable (not appearing in early Greek copies of Matthew) and has been removed by the NIV.  A translation of it would be "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

Matt 17:22-23
When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.

This is a depressing statement to the disciples.  There is lots of evil in the world and it often seems to be winning.

Matt 17:24-27
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"

"Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he  asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and  taxes--from their own sons or from others?"

"From others," Peter answered. 

"Then the sons are exempt,"  Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

The "temple tax" is a translation of Greek for "the two drachmas".

Jesus clearly does not seek confrontation with the political system, although he continues to confront religious hypocrisy.

The Five Discourses of Matthew

On Sundays I attempt to "rest" from our reading of New Testament chapters and maybe catch up on past readings or take a moment to summarize some topics we are reading at this time.  Since we are currently in The Gospel of Matthew, it might be good to look at the structure of the body of that book.

The Gospel of Matthew has five significant teaching passages, in which Jesus gives a series of talks on a particular theme.  These five passages are sometimes called the Five Discourses of Matthew.

Matthew makes no claim to put his recorded events in chronological order.  It is likely that Jesus spoke these teachings numerous times throughout his three year ministry, in various places and in different arrangements.

The most well-known and most significant discourse is the Sermon on the Mount, in chapters 5 to 7 of the gospel of Matthew. In this teaching passage, Jesus spells out citizenship in the kingdom of heaven.  Beginning with the Beatitudes, he inverts the standard understanding of power, emphasizing compassion, mercy, peacemaking and humility.  Part way through the sermon, he teaches the disciples to pray; that passage is now called The Lord's Prayer and now recited in thousands of churches every week.

In Matthew 10, Jesus gives instructions to his disciples on how they are to begin their ministry.  This is sometimes called the Missionary Discourse or the Little Commission (in contrast to the Great Commission.)

In Matthew 13, Jesus publicly teaches about the kingdom of heaven in a series of parables and then privately explains one of the parables to the disciples and presents several more.  These two sections, one public, one private, have been collectively called the Parabolic Discourse.  (As a mathematician I might think that a "parabolic discourse" has something to do with conic sections, but it does not ... sigh.)

In Matthew 18, Jesus gives several parables about the Kingdom of Heaven, sometimes called the Discourse on the Church.

In Matthew 23-25, beginning on the Mount of Olives at the very end of his ministry, Jesus gives several teachings on the "end times".  This is the Olivet Discourse.

Tomorrow we return to Matthew, chapter 11, and a question raised by John, the Baptist.

Online resources on the gospel of Matthew

I try to celebrate Sundays by NOT moving on to new material but instead doing a little bit of review. If you have missed a day in reading through the Gospel of Matthew, this is a time to catch up. Meanwhile, I'll describe some nice web sources I have found on the Gospel of Matthew.

The Overview Bible project also has a nice summary of the Gospel of Matthew.

The Bible Gateway is a good place to begin a study.  Pick a chapter in which you are interested (such as Matthew 1) and then along the right side of the page, click on "Study This".  A variety of commentary options will appear, some old, some new, some free, some not.

On Wikipedia are chapter and verse studies for most of the New Testament! For example, here is Matthew 7, both chapter and links to verses.

There is a free audio of the Gospel of Matthew available here at librivox. The Gospel of Matthew read in the King James Version is on Youtube.  (Personally, I'm not a fan of the ancient King James Version – too many associations with church traditionalism and legalism for me – but you may enjoy it.)

Among the published commentaries one might purchase are these five recommended by Ligonier Ministries.  If English is not your first language – or even if it is! – there is a nice "EasyEnglish" commentary on Matthew here.

But, frankly, one should spend most of one's time on the original source, the Scriptures themselves. The commentaries are for the curious, after reading a bit in the original Bible chapters ... which we will try to do tomorrow!

The Blue Letter Bible has a study guide on Matthew.  It begins here.

Bob Utley, a pastor out of East Texas (where I'm located now) has a nice overview of various passages from the Bible.  Here is his introduction to the Sermon on the Mount.  Bob's accent meets the stereotype of the southern televangelist, but his understanding and communication of bible passages is much better than that.

On a different direction, here is the Wikipedia page on the Renaissance painting of Jesus calling the tax collector, Matthew, to be his follower.  The gospels were the source for much of medieval and Renaissance art.

While searching Youtube, I found a four hour (!!) adaptation of Matthew as film. Personally this is not for me (I'd rather read the whole book – in the KJV – than watch this very slow moving film!) but it shows the things one can try to do with Bible Study.

Tomorrow we return to Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount.

An Overview of Matthew's Gospel

Matthew, also called Levi, was a Jew and a tax collector (according to tradition) and therefore a tainted, compromised member of the Jewish community, a devious individual who made money by working for the Roman masters. His calling to follow Jesus is recorded all three Synoptic Gospels, in Matt 9: 9-13, and in Mark 2: 13-17, and also in Luke 5: 27-28. (In Mark and Luke, Matthew is identified by an alternate name, probably his birth name, Levi.)

Matthew's gospel is a letter written by a Jew, aimed at a Jewish audience.  The writer takes pains to record Jesus's lineage from the ancient king, David, and quotes various Old Testament passages to demonstrate Jesus's fulfillment of Messianic prophesies.

The account of Matthew is similar to that of Mark and Luke and so probably takes advantage of a common source for some details, most likely the gospel of Mark.

The Bible project has two short videos on Matthew, giving a nice overview.  They are both less than 10 minutes and are very well done!  Take a moment to watch these!
Overview of Matthew, Part 1
Overview of Matthew, Part 2

This overview divides the central core of the gospel of Matthew into 5 parts. Before these five sections is an introduction (Matthew 1-3) where Jesus is portrayed as the promised Jewish Messiah.

Then there are five sections, each with a discourse or teaching.  The five sections might be arranged to parallel the five Old Testament books of the Torah.

Here are the five parts, as suggested by the Bible Project.

1. Matthew 4-7, announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. Matthew 8-10, Jesus as healer of the new kingdom
3. Matthew 11-13, The people's response to the Messiah
4. Matthew 14-20, The reality of the servant Messiah
5. Matthew 21-25, The class of two kingdoms.

At the end, chapters 26-28, there is the celebration of the Passover, followed by trial, crucifixion and resurrection.

The summary of each of the 28 chapters of Matthew, as Twitter tweets, is available here.

II Peter 3, The Lord's Return

Peter has denounced recent false prophets who, like false prophets of old, teach for their own gain and glory, without concern for God or spiritual truth.

2 Peter 3: 1-2, Recall the prophets
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Presumably this letter follows the earlier letter of Peter, stimulated by concerns about the false teachings, most likely related to first century gnosticism.

2 Peter 3: 3-7, Where is the second coming?
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and  destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved  for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

One concern late in the first century was the fact that the apostles had taught that the return of Jesus was imminent.  So where was he?  Peter's answer is essentially that God has a plan and its timeline is a long one.  If the delay in Jesus's return was a question for the late first century, it is certainly one for today, two thousand years later!

2 Peter 3: 8-10, God's timing is different
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed  by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 

If a thousand years is a mere 'day' to God, argues Peter, then our own small perspective is very short and we do not see the even a small part of the great picture.

Peter suggests that God delays the Return so as to reach out to all mankind.  This is a missional statement for the early church.

2 Peter 3: 11-13, Live as part of the new heaven and earth!
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

See the revelation of John for more details on this new heaven and new earth!

Throughout the New Testament, the future kingdom is viewed as a truly physical kingdom, with a new universe replacing the current one.  It is not a kingdom of angels sitting on clouds up in 'heaven' but a re-creation, a renewal, by God.

2 Peter 3: 14-16, Patient living (& Paul)
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own  destruction.

Until Jesus returns, we are to live blameless, holy lives, presumably engaged in our world and community.

This mention of Paul's letters is unique and indicates that this letter is very late, that Paul's letters have widely circulated.  Peter then goes on to call Paul's letters "Scripture", equating them with the statements of the Old Testament prophets.

2 Peter 3: 17-18, Be alert and keep growing
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

The letter ends with a final reminder to the young church about error and the importance of growing in Jesus's grace.

I have found this letter a little strange in it view of heavens, hell, angels and false prophets.  It merits more study.  But now, tomorrow, we will move on to the gospel at the beginning of the New Testament, that of Matthew, written for his brother and sister Jews.

II Peter 2, False Prophets

In this passage Peter takes on the false prophets (Gnostics?) who have been denying Jesus's role as God and Savior.

2 Peter 2: 1-3, Warning about false prophets
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way  of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

The author is especially worried about "prophets" denying the sovereignty of Jesus.

2 Peter 2: 4-9, Judge and rescuer

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed  by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)-- if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men  from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

The word translated here as "hell" is the word tartarus,  a word for the abyss in Greek mythology.

It is easy to miss the fact that this passage is one long "if-then" statement: if all these things happened to ancients then ... God will rescue the godly.  The passage is a promise more than a warning.

2 Peter 2: 10-11, Slanderous accusations
This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.

I'm not quite sure of the background for this passage. The false prophets have freely slandered others... including "celestial beings"?  (I'd look at a commentary on this ... but I'm traveling this morning.  William Barclay's commentary links this to two popular Jewish stories relating angels -- I need to dig that up.)

2 Peter 2: 12-13, Beasts at our love feasts
But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.  They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will  perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 

This might be a description of some gnostics who, claiming that the material universe, including their bodies, was irrelevant, might then consider themselves free to engage in any sensual activities they wished, "carousing" in their feasting and partying.  Some manuscripts call the feasts "love feasts", a term that appears in the letter of Jude.

C. S. Lewis, at the end of the seventh book in The Chronicles of Narnia, has intelligent talking beasts denying Aslan's kingship and as a result, changing back into mere brute beasts, losing the divine gift of speech and thought.

2 Peter 2: 14-17, Balaam and a donkey's speech
With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed--an accursed  brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey--a beast without speech--who spoke with a man's voice and restrained  the prophet's madness.

The word "adultery" need not refer to a sexual acts but a general watering down of morality and ethics.  Peter's words here are sharp and strong, equating this attitude with ancient examples of wickedness.  I am again reminded of C. S. Lewis's play with animal speech in Narnia.

2 Peter 2: 17-19, Slaves promising freedom
These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered  him.

Again, Peter harshly condemns these false prophets as deliberate dishonest manipulators. While promising freedom from any ethical restraints, they are themselves slaves.

2 Peter 2: 20-22, Worse off at the end
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn  their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

The quote in verse 22 about a dog and its vomit is from Proverbs 26:11.

Peter, like the author of Hebrews, has the strongest condemnation for those who understand who Jesus is but then still turn their backs to that knowledge.